I was just wondering when the people on the forum first got into F1 and how. Also wondering what your earliest memories of F1 are?

I first got into F1 at the end of 2007, just because Lewis Hamilton is British. However, my earliest mmemory of F1 is watching the TV intently waiting for Kimi Raikkonen’s wheel to come of, I can’t remember when though.

Around 92/93, not that i remember much of it and didnt know many of the drivers names aside from Mansell, Prost and Senna… but then i wasnt more then 8 years old. I just loved that these cars that looked so striking could bomb it round a circuit so fast and was really loud. Senna’s death in 1994 is probably the only thing i can really remember from that end of things (I will always remember where i was, who i was with and sheer disbelief of what happened), as well as the Schuey/Hill battle that went on for 3 seasons.

Il admit my viewing of F1 dropped off when Ferrari and Schumacher went and won everything, although i started watching (by chance) when Alonso won his 1st. It was easier then as I was at Uni and could watch the races and qualy.

My father watched F1, but I didn’t care. Then I became friends with a person that followed F1 and Kimi in particular, so I watched the 2007 Brazilian Grand Prix to see his hunt for the title. I can remember only the dying stages when the commentator said that Massa, who was recording fastest laps, had been very important for the team, and I instantly liked him. I didn’t follow F1 in 2008 though, until the 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix and you can guess what it must have been for me to see my hero lose in such a way the title to the person that had been obstacle to Kimi the previous year. Since 2009 I followed F1 every race, in my possibilities, and I still am, waiting to see Felipe crown his life’s dream, beat everyone else and become FIA Formula 1 Drivers’ World Champion.

The first race I remember watching was the 2002 Hungarian Grand Prix. I didn’t know it was in Hungary at the time, but I remember Barrichello winning ahead of both Schumachers and Coulthard and Fisichella battling for 5th place.

From then I watched F1 whenever I just happened to catch it on. I watched quite a bit of the 2005 season, though I missed Alonso’s title win. I also watched most of 2006 and watched Alonso’s second title trimuph. At this point I still didn’t watch F1 race by race though.

I remember catching qualifying for the 2007 Hungarian Grand Prix when I was shocked to see Massa go out in Q2, and then in Q3 Alonso held up Hamilton in the pit lane. The drama made me want to see the race, so I watched Hamilton win the race, and since then I haven’t missed a Grand Prix, and have caught up on what I have missed over the years.

I wanted to add that I didn’t support Kimi because I knew Massa had been on pole and I knew that he had left the win to Kimi because he was out of the contention. I am not of those that support who wins.

I am pretty new to the sport. Me and my dad happened to both be at home, on one special Sunday in March in 2008. My dad decided to watch the race, and I happened to walk into the room at the end of the formation lap. 7 Cars finished that race, from then on, I’ve checked F1 Fanatic every day. I also feel fortunate to, in the same year, get to go to the Belgian Grand Prix. 2010 was amazing, but the novelty of 2008 will live with me forever.

The oldest f1 memory is the German GP in 2000, the one where Barrichello won. Maybe I watched a race before that, maybe not. I was 6 years old at the time, but knew a lot about f1 by the end of the year.

2006 Hungarian Grand Prix, Jenson Button’s first win, and yet it is strange that I’m a Hamilton fan. After that race I tuned in to one or two races of that year, I paticulary remember Brazil and MS’ exit. However it was Australia 2007 that I became an avid fan, I remember thinking that whoever impressed me most that race I would support them. After the first corner there could only be one choice, Hamilton, he did Alonso round the outside and took Kubica too. During that season my hate of Alonso and the way he treated McLaren made me want the team and Lewis to win even more. My favourite race so far has to be Spa 2008, as me and my sister were screaming at the TV (she’s a Kimi fan), followed closely by Brazil 2008. Since all of this I havn’t missed a race since…

I picked a very bad race as my first one to watch. My first race was Imola 1994 :( my dad had it on the TV and for some reason I was inside instead of playing out (I was 8 at the time!). So I started as a casual viewer. Then we got Geoff Crammonds GP for my Amiga 600 (Oh yes! Wish I still had it! The amiga and the game).

I really got into F1 big time in 1996 when hill won the championship again through my dad watching it more due to Hill being in contention. And I pretty much haven’t missed a race since then.

Stumbled across F1fanatic a few years ago and now I don’t have a day where I don’t view it at least 4 times! So I am beyond an F1fanatic and now deemed an F1 ADDICT!

I had always loosely watched in on a Sat/Sun afternoon without paying attention and being rather bored by it…for some reason I found that comforting! But in 2009 I wanted something new to sink my teeth into and I tuned into the race at Sepang and I was mesmerised by the mess of that afternoon and wanted to tune into the next one to see what would happen there. F1 is now a huge part of my life :D

One of my school friend in the year 2000 when I was in standard 5 told me about F1,he always used to talk about Schumacher & Haikkinen & how they used to fight till death on track. Then those days I used to watch some races as I used to have black & white TV. But it was in the 2003 Australian GP qualifying which I missed around 20 minutes,as those days the qualifying used to start very early in the morning, things were flying here & therein my living room,I guess that was the start of my journey to F1.Since then I don’t remember that I have missed any races,started recording them since 2008.

I don’t know which race but probably one of the German GP may be in 02 or 01 when on the very last lap Haikkinen’s car had a problem & smoke came out of the car’s rear which handed over the victory to Schumacher.If I am correct then he had a trip back to the pit on Coulthard’s sidepod.

Have been checking F1F since 2007 but a regular from tail-end of 2008.

I think my earliest memory would be Hungary 97, when Hill nearly won the race, but I think the race that got me properly hooked was Spa 1998. At 6, a crash like the one at the start, or Schumi/Chin is definitely gonna stick in your imagination.

Mid eighties, I think I was about six and two words echo through my mind…… Best done in a Murray Walker voice!

‘Nigel Mansell!!!’

The guys a legend in my mind and my first f1 love. I refused to believe anyone else was better and sulked when senna or Prost beat him. My heart would deflate when the Williams had a technical problem.

When he went to Ferrari, it just wasn’t the same. Mansell and Williams… That’s why I love f1